the centrist coalition shortly after arriving which was formed by then senators jon casey and john brown. during the 1994 health reform debate to reach the political divide. after he passed away, we thought it was imperative that we revive the coalition to help the bipartisanship following the divisiveness of the senate impeachment trial. following the landmark supreme court ruling in bush vs. gore that adjudicated the presidential election and evenly split senate with 50 republicans and 50 democrats, senate leaders joined with nearly one- third of the senate at a meeting of the centrist coalition to explore how to move forward in a bipartisan fashion. it is precisely this kind of approach that is crucial, madam president. it is only when we minimize the political barriers that we can maximize the senate allowing it to become an unparalleled incubator for results that truly matter to the american people. it was a cross aisle alliance that produced the program that was a rewrite of the telecommunications act for the first time. this was a landmark law insuring every library in classroom i